Important documents to bring along with you as an international student in Australia
If you are packing your bags to come to Australia you might be thinking, what sort of documents should I bring along with me to Australia?
In this article, we are going to discuss what sort of documents you should bring when you’re coming to Australia as an international student.
Before we get started, it is ideal that you should have at least a couple of copies of all the documents mentioned in this article.
It is also a good idea to keep these documents in your carry-on bag or handbag. Alternatively, if you’re bringing a laptop bag, you can keep those documents in it as well.
Now, let’s kick off with the documents!
1.Passport
We don’t really need to explain much about why you need to bring your passport when coming to Australia for your studies. It is obviously a very important document for travelling overseas.
Important thing to keep in mind is that your passport must be valid for at least six months, which means that it cannot be expiring within the next six months. So please double-check the expiration date on your passport before traveling to Australia.
If it is expiring within the next 6 months, then you will need to renew it before coming to Australia for your studies.
2. Airline Tickets
You must have printed copies of your airline tickets, itinerary, boarding pass (if checked in online). Again, this is another obvious document, but we still need to mention it.
3. Student Visa
You must have a student visa when arriving in Australia. There are various types of visas available, but whatever type of visa you have, make sure you have a copy of it.
4. Academic Transcript
It’s a good idea to bring documents that contain any qualifications you have completed in your home country, as well as any other document that contains your marks in those qualifications e.g marksheets.
You’ll probably need it a few times while you are studying in Australia, especially if you are going to apply for further visas.
So ideally, you should bring your year 10 or year 12 certificates. If you have completed your degrees, like a bachelor’s or master’s, you need to bring all those documents as well.
5. Confirmation of Enrollment (COE or ECOE)
You should bring your E-COE or COE which is a document that is given to you by your university or institute when you apply for that course.
It is a confirmation that you have been enrolled into that specific course at that specific university or institution, so make sure you have a copy of your ECOE or COE.
Important note: You should always have a valid COE when you are studying in Australia.
5. IELTS or PTE Certificate
Some students who are going to study in Australia will be required to complete an English test. It could be IELTS, PTE, or some other English test.
Whatever test you have completed, make sure that you have a valid certificate and bring this certificate along with you.
Of course, not every student will need to complete this test, so if you don’t need to complete this test, you don’t need to bring this document.
6. Receipts of Payments
You may have paid your tuition, airfare, overseas student health insurance (OSHS), or accommodation. Make sure you get the receipts for all of these documents and bring them with you.
You might also need to exchange some currency, so if you are bringing some Australian dollars, make sure you get a receipt from your local exchange institutions (e.g banks or money exchangers).
7. Accommodation Booking Documents
Whether you are going to book a short term accommodation like hostel, hotel or Airbnb or booking a long term accommodation with university, please bring along those booking emails or itinerary or any other document received as a confirmation of booking.
You might not need these documents if you are coming to stay with your family or friends but you still need to know their address as you need to write that in your incoming passenger card when arriving in Australia.
8. Driving License
As an international student, you are considered a temporary resident, which means you can drive in Australia while your overseas license is still current and valid.
Please keep in mind that some states and territories may have their own regulations governing how long you can drive in Australia with an overseas license, so we recommend that you check the details in the state or territory where you will be driving.
While some students from certain countries can easily transfer their overseas license to an Australian license, other students from some countries will need to undertake tests in order to get an Australian license.
If you are planning to deliver food with delivery apps like Uber Eats, then having an overseas license is a must (Especially if you are going to use a motorbike or car for delivering).
Read our complete guide on how to deliver with Uber Eats here.
9. Medical Records or Prescriptions
If you have some specific health conditions, and you’re carrying some medicines along with you, it’s always a good idea to bring those prescriptions as well.
Also, you need to bring other prescriptions like your glasses or some other medical trackers.
10. Work Related Certificates
If you’re planning to work in Australia, it is a good idea to bring along your work certificates.
It could be a reference letter in your home from your employer, or it could be a work experience certificate.
11. Other Certificates
If you have completed any short courses, like an IT course or any trade course, it’s a good idea to bring those certificates along.
Also, if you have completed a barista course in your home country, it might be a good idea to bring that along.
12. Personal Identification Documents e.g. National ID Card or National Tax Number Card
If your country issues a National ID Card, then please make sure to bring that along as well as they can help to identify you or prove your age or citizenship of a country when needed.
If you don’t have a National ID Card, then other documents like Tax Number Card or any other relevant document that can help prove your identity can be great to bring.
13. OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) Policy
Most of the students who are going to study in Australia will need to purchase OSHC policy for covering any health related issues while studying in Australia.
You will be given an OSHC policy or deed by your OSHC provider, so it will be good for you to bring that document.
14. Vaccine Certificate
It is not required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if you are coming to Australia anymore but if you already have been vaccinated, then it will be good to bring along that certificate with you.
So these are the important documents that we suggest students to bring along when coming to Australia for their studies. Let us know which other documents you are bringing along with you.
